Mal Waldron - Mal Waldron [Thanks a million, MALsan]

barabara sounds sez:

The late great Mal Waldron toured Japan quite a lot, especially from the 1980s. The 10 tracks on this album were recorded between 1995 and 1999. All feature Mal playing solo live, though you'd hardly know it until you hear the applause at the end of track 9. 

The album was put together as an homage by producer Ito Hideharu of 3361*Black Records and issued posthumously in 2003 through Tokuma Records.


There's another track Mal recorded in Japan, that comes to mind on this day (August 5). It's from the album Travellin' in Soul-Time, with Jeanne Lee and Toru Tenda... Black Rain

tracks:
Django; The Seagulls Of Kristiansund; My Foolish Heart; My One And Only Love; When Sunny Gets Blue; I Should Care; Remember; I Didn't Know What Time It Was; You Don't Know What Love Is; Left Alone

issued on 3361*Black (J) TKCK 3012

sleep walker - sleep walker + works

barabara sounds sez:

While I’m about it here, I might as well drop the other two Sleep Walker albums: the excellent self-titled debut; and the third, the “remixes/best-of/new bits and pieces” Works. Not the first time they've been out in the blogosphere. And there's not much more I need say about these bangers – except if you've not heard them before and you like a nice bit of premium club jazz, then your ears are in for a treat. Enjoy!

dusty sez (about Works):

…a collection of singles, remixes, and new tracks, all representing some of the best work from this ultra-hip club jazz combo! As with their full albums, the style here is jazz-based at the outset - played in a classic mode that has plenty of echoes of Impulse Records during the Coltrane generation – but forged into a tighter, leaner groove for the 21st Century – a mode that's sometimes rhythmic and aimed at the dancefloor, yet which never loses any sense of depth or creativity from a jazz perspective! Saxophonist Masato Nakamura contributes some incredibly great tenor and soprano work to the tunes – and Hajimi Yoshizawa's modal piano lines pulsate tremendously throughout. A few cuts are remixes, but still very much embody the Sleep Walker sound - with new instrumentation, as the group makes a live jazz take on the tracks they're supposedly remixing!

dusty sez (about Sleep Walker)

A monumental bit of club jazz – one of the best new records we've heard in years, with a sound that's right up there with the best of Impulse Records from the classic years! The album's a side project of Japanese producer/keyboardist Hajime Yoshizawa – and unlike his other records, which have a much stronger dance/soul approach, this set's almost purely straight jazz – done with majestically searching solos on both keyboards and sax, the latter of which is played by Masato Nakamura, who has a tone that almost recalls Pharoah Sanders! The whole thing's great – a brilliant piece of Love Supreme jazz, co-produced by Kyoto Jazz Massive, who give the record enough of a bounce to make it appeal to fans of recent work by them, Koop, or Jazzanova as well. An instant classic – and a mindblowingly deep record that we'll be playing for years!

Kohsuke Mine - Out Of Chaos

barabara sounds sez:

Fine flowing modal music from Mine and his crew (a crack team of the usual j-jazz suspects) from back in '74. This was one of Mine's first outings after switching from alto to tenor and definitely one of his best ever. Also one of the first albums on the very righteous East Wind label. The stately lyrical second track (by Kikuchi) is a standout here, sandwiched between the two high-power numbers penned by Mine.

The concept for the cover art is questionable (red gloop as a representation of chaos? Or maybe the art director used this image because s/he was clean out of chaos?). But when it comes to the music, there's nothing lacking here whatsoever! [ripped from the CD reissue]

personnel:

Mine Kohsuke tenor sax; Kikuchi Masabumi piano; Okada Tsutomu bass; Hino Motohiko drums

tracks:

Recollection; Little Abi; Cross Wind

Togashi-Yamashita Duo - Kizashi

barabara sounds sez:

Here's another duo out of Japan, but this time featuring piano and drums/percussion. Neither Yosuke Yamashita or Masahiko Togashi should need introduction — they're among the greats from the golden age of Japanese jazz and improvisation. This session laid down in 1980 is short (just 38 minutes) but very sweet, with some lovely inventive playing. And that is probably why this has gone through a couple of CD reissues (this rip is from the first ie non SHMCD) though currently OOP. The duo also recorded a live concert of the same material later the same year.

Kizashi [ 兆 ] means a sprout or bud, but can also mean a sign or omen — not in a mystical sense but apparently as a premonition of the future direction of jazz in Japan. Looking back, I'm not sure that means very much. But at the time it was exciting, the final fling of that golden age.

Hino-Kikuchi Duo - Edges

barabara sounds sez:

It's about time I posted this, the companion piece to my earlier post (back in November) of Counter Current. I'm not sure why I've held it back till now. Maybe because it's sparer, less 'straightforward' — I'm tempted to say edgy, but that would give the wrong impression — it demands more attention and grabs you in a rather different place. But it's not because I like it any less.

Even though it was recorded during the same sessions as Counter Current, this is a very different album. As you can tell, it's just the two of them, Terumasa Hino and Masabumi Kikuchi, just trumpet and piano, sometimes together other times exploring out there on their own. Curiously, the cover art is in bold color, whereas the sleeve for Counter Current is sumi ink on washi white — but Edges is by far the more monochromatic in its soundscapes. Here's a nice review from All About Jazz, says it better than I can...

AAJ (Andrey Henkin) sez:

The similarities between two new releases by Japanese legends Terumasa Hino and Masabumi Kikuchi are obvious. Both were recorded within the same two weeks at the same studio. Both share broadly painted abstract covers on their appealing LP-style gatefold sleeves. Both are mostly originals by the pair, including two versions of two pieces book ending each disc. Even the aesthetics, despite the first being a duet and the other a quintet, have something in common. Palpably companion pieces, for all their similarities, these are distinct albums. But one thing they both contain is possibly the most surprising. Though continuing a partnership begun decades ago, the albums don't demonstrate an expected easy comfort; that is their strength.

Edges is an uncommon duet between an unusual pairing. Piano and trumpet inhabit a similar tonal range so any counterpoint is of a subtler breed. The eight pieces, including the two takes of the title track that begin and end the album, are aural representations of the album artwork: painted in bold expressionistic strokes. What is fascinating though is the tangible sense of tension. When one listens to a duet, breezy dialogue or spirited agreements are usually the expectation. Hino and Kikuchi are obviously old friends but ones who seem to have little in common. When their careers began, they were closer in spirit; the intervening years have separated them. They are like adults who are friends because they grew up next to each other. This turns Edges into a session whose appeal is in its agitation. Each author has his pieces dominated by the other musician and the solo pieces are almost exhalations. "I Fall In Love Too Easily," the album's only standard, exemplifies this ironic relationship.

personnel:

Terumasa Hino: trumpet; Masabumi Kikuchi: piano.

tracks:

Edges (ver. 1); Is It?; Alone, Alone And Alone; Can't Describe; I Fall In Love Too Easily; Dad, I Miss You (trumpet solo); My Kinda Yesterday (piano solo);

Edges (ver. 2)

Hino-Kikuchi Quartet - Counter Current

barabara sounds sez:

Two of the finest jazzmen from Japan's golden age of modal/fusion/free exploration. And they're still laying it down. Unlike some of their contemporaries (Sadao W. springs to mind immediately), these guys still have plenty to say. This album was one of two they cut in 2007 — this one a quintet format; the other (Edges) a duo. Both are now hard to lay hands on even here, and can cost a pretty penny in the rest of the world.

All About Jazz sez:

Counter Current brings the pair together with a multi-generational trio to explore another set of originals, this time almost exclusively by Kikuchi. The effect is that of strangers on a long train ride trying to find out what they have in common but amiably engaging in disagreements along the way. Hino is more muted, allowing more room for the cultured musings of Michael Attias' alto (who also contributes one piece). And Kikuchi forms part of a remarkably porous rhythm section, Thomas Morgan's Charlie Haden-esque bass gently overlaying Paul Motian's drums, like a bullfrog jumping languidly from lily pad to lily pad on a still pond. Though the instrumentation is typically modern, the feeling is not overly cerebral. Counter Current, like Edges, is an apt name for this beguiling document.

Tracks:

J.L.L. (ver.1); Sky Over Rain Forest; Blue in Yellow (for Mark Rothko); Misery on the Hudson; Making the Elephant Run (ver. 1); Making the Elephant Run (ver. 2); J.L.L. (ver.2).

Personnel:

Terumasa Hino: trumpet; Masabumi Kikuchi: piano; Michael Attias: alto sax; Thomas Morgan; bass; Paul Motian: drums.

For earlier work by these two guys, head over to the inestimable Orgy in Rhythm, where you will find Bacoso has posted a good number of their classic older albums.

And Katonah recently posted another, the brilliant Wishes, at his equally excellent Private Press.

Essential listening!

Art Ensemble of Chicago — The Complete Live In Japan

barabara sounds sez:

Ancient to the future. That's the AEC maxim — and it sort of fits Japan in a number of ways too. On their second visit, in 1984, AEC played two evenings in Tokyo. Although I may well have been in town at the time (who can remember all those years ago?) I didn't make it to either of the gigs, which is my loss since they've only been over here maybe once since. At least they were recorded for a radio broadcast (I think) and eventually in 1988 this double CD was issued by DIW/Disc Union*. This is the second gig (April 22, Kanihoken Hall, Gotanda) in its entirety — and there are plenty of fine moments here. If you're into AEC, this is essential listening.

[*actually a one-album LP with just 5 tracks was issued in '85]

dusty sez:

2LP set that brings together all of the live material that the Art Ensemble recorded for Japanese DIW in 1984. The concert was recorded in Tokyo, and the set list that includes the tracks "Ohnedaruth", "Spanish Song", "Ancestral Voices", "The Waltz", "Zero", "Odwalla: The Theme", and "Ol Time Southside Street Dance". The playing is fairly spirited, with solos all the way through by Bowie, Jarman, and Mitchell. The record is one of their best from the 80's, and certainly one of the strongest in their catalog for DIW.

Kilti-Chòk•Culture-Choc•Culture-Shock•カルチャー ショック

barabara sounds sez:

Haiti has been in our minds a lot since that terrible earthquake. I know so little about the country, the people and the music that this album is just about my only point of reference. It was put together by a group of musicians who were brought over in 1999 to play a series of gigs around the Tokyo area. I caught them in a tiny club in Hiratsuka, southwest of Tokyo, and hung with them a bit after the gig. It was a great show and they were fine folks. This album was recorded live, and it's pretty much the way I heard them.

Like the musicians themselves, the music is an amalgam, fused together from roots, roots rhythms, hints of Cuban and reggae, and jazz. The Haitian musicians — on guitar, bass, conga and tambour — were joined by local pianist Michiko Tatsuno. Some of it doesn't really hang together too well, but other bits work just fine, especially the vodou/voodoo drumming of Bonga (he once toured with Grace Jones) and Sergo.

It's an awful long way — culturally more than geographically — between Japan and Haiti, so the title of this album/aggregation is right on the money. We know all about earthquakes here, but can only guess at the chaos that's going on right now over there. Even if we can't help out directly, here's a simple way to contribute on-line...

Music Revelation Ensemble - Knights of Power

barabara sounds sez:

The Music Revelation Ensemble make a righteous funky noise, propelled as ever by James Blood Ulmer who has a great line-up with him here: Amin Ali and Cornell Rochester as the rhythm section, with Arthur Blythe and Hamiet Bluiett sharing sax duties. The tracks that grab me are Noise And Clamor and Father Of Flame – but they're all kick-ass (as TJ says in his review). As far as I know this excellent album (1995) was only released in Japan and is well OOP.

On ebay I've seen this offered for substantial bucks: here it's yours for the price of a comment. [And remember no comment is in itself a comment :–)]

More info on the Music Revelation Ensemble here...

allmusic (Thom Jurek) sez:

James Blood Ulmer's sporadic and ever-evolving Music Revelation Ensemble has featured at one time or another everyone from David Murray and Roland Shannon Jackson to John Zorn and the late George Adams. The results have been spotty as well, but when Blood is on in this band, his true jamming unit, there's none better. This disc is one example of that power with a rhythm section consisting of Amin Ali on bass and Cornell W. Rochester on drums, and two guests saxophonists who go by the names Arthur Blythe (whose landmark Lennox Avenue Breakdown facilitated Ulmer getting a Columbia Records contract in the 1970s) and Hamiet Bluiett, splitting the eight tunes between them. Funk is the root key of everything here, slipped grooves and underhanded bass riffs kick the tunes off before a melody line gets stated played jointly usually by Ulmer and either Blythe or Bluiett, and then it's off to the stratosphere while never losing the groove. Ulmer's guitar work on this disc is truly astonishing as he plays lead and rhythm at the same time, chasing the train and keeping the groove. Standouts on the set are "The Day Of" and "Confusion," as well as "Father of Flame." On each of these selections, Ulmer and his rhythm section create wide spaces for the horn players to move around in. Once the saxists are established in their improvisations, Ulmer will stab through the mix with another idea of dimensional scale and either Blythe or Bluiett will be given the responsibility of opening that up. Blood eventually comes in for his solo and understates it while introducing yet another length of the harmolodic lyrical chain. In each case, it's amazing that the band finds its way back to the root, the groove never having been absent. Along with No Wave, this is the best of the Music Revelation Ensemble's recordings; it kicks ass.

blue note nonstop 60 trax

barabara sounds sez:

Here we go with the full album complete with artist/track names. In case anyone missed the first post, this was a Japan-only sampler CD issued in 1999 to mark Blue Note's 60th anniversary. What you get is 60 snippets from some of the biggest artists on the label -- most of the obvious names and some classic riffs.

Karin Krog & John Surman - Bluesand

barabara sounds sez:

One of Karin Krog's more recent (1999) and lesser known (at least to me) collaborations, but hauntingly beautiful as usual. This is the Japanese reissue which has an extra track featuring her on a version of Air on a G String arranged by keyboard maestro Morgan Fisher. This was used for a TV commercial advertising a brand of saké. It's rather tasty (and so is the music). The rest of the album is Karin with John Surman, who adds keyboards to his usual outstanding palette of clarinet and sax.

dusty sez:

For the past 30 years, Karin Krog has been one of Europe's greatest jazz vocalists -- but although she spent a time in the 70s doing some very experimental material, she's been spending a lot more time on standards lately. However, this release marks a new direction -- and has her working again with British reed genius John Surman, a frequent collaborator during the old days. All of the tracks are in English, and are penned by Surman and Krog, with a spare folksy style that hearkens back to their more progressive work in the 70s. Surman plays reeds, piano, and synthesizer -- while Krog sings and manipulates her voice with electronics. Titles include "Sas Blues", "Bluesand", "Secret Games", "Fly Away", "Sombre Woods", and "Ribbon of Sand".

Soul Fingers ...and Funky Feet - a Blue Note compilation

barabara sounds sez:

When this Japan-only compilation came out in 1990, most of the tracks were OOP and unavailable on CD; these days there's little in the Blue Note vaults that hasn't been excavated. Even so, it's a fine compilation of swinging organ grooves from the (mostly) 60s, ranging from Baby Face Willette and Jimmy Smith to Lonnie Smith and Richard Groove Holmes. The top cut is the last one: Stanley Turrentine blowing some soulful sax on God Bless The Child, over Shirley Scott's smoldering keyboards.

And yes there ought to be some crap cover award for those wooly mittens — totally unworthy of the Blue Note name and label.